Exposed [Book 4 in the Expiring Series]

61 Ever Feel Like You're on a Hidden-Camera TV Show?

Erik~~

Rydersin still had six more Order members to dance with—much to my chagrin, but when her sixth dance ended, the rest were nowhere to be found. Not that Rydersin seemed to mind. She reclined gracefully on a chaise near the window, and I handed her a water, and now she currently looks as out of breath as a ballet dancer who climbed six flights of stairs—that's to say her nostrils flare every so often as she breathes.

Sometime during Rydersin's third dance, I spotted Karn and Meilin dancing together. I haven't seen Xiaozhi.

"Feeling pretty victorious?" I ask her.

She finishes off the water. "I'd like to say yes, but I can't help feeling like it's all going to be snatched away from me."

I take her empty glass. "It's not. You've earned this, Rydersin. You're going to be Preeminence of Acquaellia."

She grabs my free hand and holds it tight "Thank you."

"I haven't done anything."

"You being beside me gave me credence."

"I still think I'm the worst person for that."

"It worked, didn't it?"

"If anything it was only because they realized you were strong enough to deal with me."

She leans forward and kisses me. "I want you, Erik." Her lips brush mine. "With me. Not because of who you were but because of who you are."

My eyes feel wet, and once she pulls back, I look away so she can't see the tears. I'm falling hard and fast for this woman, and I'm scared that when I hit the ground it's going to break me.

Something catches my eye at the edge of the crowd a dozen or so feet away from us. I set Rydersin's glass on a small table beside the chaise, "I'll be right back," I murmur before stalking toward the crowd where my cousin and his husband chat.

"What the hell, Andrew?" I grab hold of him and yank him toward me, his eyes wide. "You really are stalking me."

His startled expression relaxes, and he scoffs, his fingers gripping my wrist and dragging my hand off him. "I'm not here because of you. And if anything you should thank me for following you before. I saved you, didn't I?"

I grit my teeth. He's right, but I don't want to tell him that. "Then why are you here?"

"We traveled with Colton and Vienna," Basile says, stepping forward. "They're going to make sure we get back to Earth." He grimaces at the end of that sentence as if he can't believe he just had to utter those words. As someone who grew up knowing about Amorians, it's easy for me to accept I'm on another planet and in a ballroom at that. But for people like him and Iris and even Vienna, it's probably like wondering if you're on a hidden camera show at all hours of the day.

"So Colton and Vienna," I hedge, "they're here?"

Andrew nods. "And Percy, Jonas, and Iris." He counts them off on his fingers.

"Iris?" Terror wraps around my throat, and I hate that I have this reaction. "The Head Order is here."

He looks at me as if this is all old news. "They're aware. They're just waiting for Gadfrie to tell them they aren't allowing Jonas to be Preeminence."

"It's not safe for them."

"They made the decision to stay."

Basile whispers something in Andrew's ear.

"Okay maybe they didn't choose this . . . fully. But Colton's with them. Vienna's with them. Percy's with them. They'll be fine. Besides"—Andrew steps forward—"do you really care? Didn't they both hurt you?" When I was in France, before my family showed up, I told Andrew a lot.

And it was nice, to have my old friend back.

Andrew pulls me aside and Basile doesn't follow, I guess realizing that his husband needs a moment with his troublesome cousin.

"You have to decide who you care about, Erik," he says once he has me beside the window. My eyes flick to the waves lapping against it.

"What do you mean?"

He glowers as if frustrated I'm not understanding him. "I'm going to do whatever it takes to get Basile off this planet and away from the Orders. If you help Jonas, they might target Rydersin to hurt you. You have to decide who you choose. Your life on Earth is done, Erik. I'm sorry, but it is. You were miserable in France. You were miserable in Elleany, and you aren't welcome there."

I remain silent, anger squeezing its way through me.

"Do you think because you've gotten to have family time, that it means you're forgiven? Because I've gotten to have the same thing and trust me, I will never be allowed to set one foot in Elleany."

"Unless you choose a prison. Unless we both choose a prison . . ."

"Now you understand, huh? Did you really think you'd get to go home?"

"No. I'm trying to build a life here. I . . . I guess I was getting caught up in feeling like I was back in time. Back before I knew to hate them."

He shakes his head. "We're not the Society. Go back to Rydersin. Have your happily ever after and let the villains fend for themselves."

Thank you for reading! There will be another update tomorrow--this time from Jonas's POV.

As I write Exposed, I've also been on a deadline for another book. This is a story that I've had in my head since 2016, and I'm so excited to finally get to share it with you next month. The book itself is finished. I'm just doing edits on it before I start posting it. I'll be revealing the title at the end of the next chapter.